1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention is concerned with a physical training accessory, and more specifically is concerned with an accessory comprising an air-resistance member, i.e., a sail, which is deployable upon ground locomotion of the wearer in order to increase the air-resistance to such locomotion.
2. Description of Related Art
It is a known expedient when conducting physical training to carry weights, in order to increase the effort required to carry out a particular physical movement or ground locomotion (e.g., running) and thereby enhance increases in the strength and endurance of the user. For example, it is known to wear wrist and/or ankle weights or to carry weights in the hands or in special vest pockets during running or jogging in order to increase the effort required. The use of such weights has certain disadvantages in that, particularly in the case of long distance runners, the weights tend to stress the joints of the user. The weights are localized at a particular part of the body, usually the ankles or the wrists or both, and tend to tire and stress particular muscles and joints of the user. Further, if they are not to be abandoned, the weights must be carried by the user (or someone else) even when a point is reached, for example, on the return leg of a run, in which the weights may no longer be desired. U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,620 (A. J. Debski, 1982) seeks to overcome this problem by use of a weight vest having compartments designed to hold water or other fluids to provide added weight, the patent stating that the water may be expelled from the compartment to facilitate easy and lightweight transportation of the vest. U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,442 (D. Tomlinson et al, 1987) discloses a sleeveless vest designed for use as a physical training device having pockets sized to receive conventional weights which may be bent to conform to the wearer's body.
It is also a known expedient in the art to provide wind-sail appliances which will increase the air resistance acting upon the wearer either during ground locomotion such as skiing or ice-skating, or upon falling or jumping so that the device acts in the manner of a parachute. Each of these known prior art expedients requires that the wearer extend his or her arms in order to deploy the parachute or sail-like member. For example, reference is made to the following U.S. patents, each of which provides a parachute or sail-like device which requires the wearer to extend and maintain his or her arms in an extended position in order to deploy the device. These patents are U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,178,165 (B. M. Lupton, Jr., 1916), 1,757,854 (C. H. Castagne, 1930), 4,220,299 (W. G. Motter, 1980) and 4,531,763 (D. A. Toland, 1985). A skiing accessory which is also characterized by requiring the wearer to maintain his or her arms in an extended position in order to utilize the device is disclosed by British Patent Specification No. 492,784 (Hans Thirring, 1937 ).
There aforesaid wind-sail devices have the disadvantage that the wearer is constrained to maintain his or her arms in an extended position which not only prevents the adoption of a natural arm movement and positioning for exercises such as running, skating or skiing, but further requires the arms to remain extended and support the wind resistance offered by the sail, thereby limiting the duration of use of the device as the arms will undoubtedly become tired long before the useful or desired duration of the training period is reached.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,794 (J. P. Dunn, 1985) discloses a training device comprising a rigid frame adapted to be fitted over the shoulders of the wearer, the frame carrying an air foil which may comprise a fabric covering, and being further secured to the wearer by a belt about the wearer's waist. In one embodiment, the airfoil or sail is optional (col. 3, lines 39-40) and the rigid frame, which has handles mounted on it, is sufficiently flexible so that the wearer, by maintaining his or her arms extended, may use the frame as an arm exerciser while running. The Dunn device is not collapsible, i.e., the airfoil is frame-mounted and therefore is not gatherable, and suffers a disadvantage similar to that of the use of weights; the device must be transported even when it is no longer desired to have to overcome the added wind resistance provided by the device, the weight of the frame must be borne at all times and, even during training, the weight is concentrated on the shoulders and at the waist.
The present invention provides a physical training accessory which provides significant advantages and uses, has the capability of increasing air resistance to ground locomotion by the wearer, thereby enhancing training, is lightweight and gatherable, and overcomes the stated disadvantages of prior devices such as the use of weights, the need to maintain the user's arms in an extended position, and bulkiness and weight.